Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis kicks off the 60-day legislative session with his first State of the State address outlining his priorities including the environment, education, healthcare and transportation infrastructure.

A Florida bill filed by Sen. Aaron Bean, R-Fernandina Beach, also called the Fang Memorial Bill, would increase the penalty for intentionally hurting or killing police, fire or search-and-rescue dogs and horses.

Republicans will hold a primary on April 9. The general election won’t take place until June 18, meaning the legislative session from March 5 to May 3 won’t have House representation for parts of the Panhandle that suffered the most from Hurricane Michael.

February 20, 2019Fresh Take FloridaComments Off on Florida Democrats Reveal Political Strategy On New Gun Laws

The political strategy for Democrats hoping to rewrite Florida gun laws is emerging in Tallahassee, as lawmakers introduce more than a dozen new bills to see whether any proposals might gain traction among majority Republicans. Their tactics are part ambitious optimism – Republicans so far seem uninterested in their ideas …

Florida is preparing a new statewide ban on the practice by fishermen along the state’s iconic beaches of dumping bloody fish guts into the ocean to lure sharks closer to shore – and possibly closer to swimmers and waders. Land-based anglers say the ban threatens long traditions of shark fishing and penalizes fishermen who can’t afford their own boats or expensive charters.

A pair of controversial bills introduced in the Florida Legislature aim to ban women from attaining an abortion when a fetus’ heartbeat is detected. The “heartbeat bill,” as it is commonly known, seeks to ban abortions at the time when a fetus' heartbeat can be detected with a vaginal ultrasound. That can be as early as 5 1/2 to 6 weeks after gestation.

The political donors who contributed thousands of dollars to elect freshman Florida Rep. Anthony Sabatini are sticking by the Republican lawmaker, despite criticism over a photo of him wearing blackface more than a decade ago.

Bold-lettered signs that read, “Stand up to the NRA”, “No NRA Money” and “Disarm Hate” floated above a crowd of Democratic legislators on the capitol’s fourth-floor rotunda on Tuesday. In a gun violence prevention press conference, freshman legislators unveiled proposed gun legislation for the upcoming session. It was organized in …